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Sunday, March 15, 2009

These pictures are from a classroom guidance lesson I did on cooperation with all of the first grade classes. First, I had the students help me draw a picture using only one color. Then, I asked them what we could do to make the picture better. Eventually, students stated that we needed to have more color. We talked about how boring the world would be if it was only one color.

We read The Crayon Box that Talked by Shane DeRolf. The book explains that everyone needs to work together in order to create a beautiful picture. We talked about "okay" and "not okay" behaviors that the crayons were doing. In order for the picture to be complete in the The Crayon Box that Talked, the crayons had to work together and use all of their colors.

I divided the students into groups of four and asked them to draw a picture as a group. I gave them all a large sheet of paper, markers, and crayons to use. They had to make decisions about which side was the top of the picture, what they would draw, and who would draw what.

Afterward, we discussed what they liked or didn't like about the activity. The students spoke about how it was hard to work together. They had to communicate with each other through asking questions, sharing, and being kind to each other. The students enjoyed the activity. It was neat to see what students could create as a group.

While reading the book we talked about "okay" and "not okay" behaviors that Sophie was doing. I asked students to give me a "thumbs up" for "okay" behaviors and a "thumbs down" for "not okay" behaviors.

The story is about the Great North building a wall to keep everyone on the Great South out. Both the Great North and the Great South suffer. Papalotzin convinces everyone to help break down the wall so everyone can move freely again.

After reading Papalotzin and the Monarchs, I asked students what walls existed in their classroom. Students talked about how sometimes they get treated differently because of the color of their skin. Students commented that sometimes people don't want to let you into their group because you aren't cool enough. I asked for suggestions about how we could break down walls in their classroom. The students suggested: being kind to each other, sharing, letting others join the group, asking people to play with us at recess.

As a follow up activity, I asked to students to color their own unique butterfly so that we could add color to the wall outside of their classroom. The butterflies serve as a reminder to students that they have the power to break down walls of intolerance.

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About the Author

I am a middle school counselor and founder of School Counselor Blog, a place where school counselors share innovative ideas, creative lessons, and quality resources! I am a doctoral candidate in the Counselor Education and Supervision program at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA.